80 Terrorists Killed in Day-Long Afghan Gun Battle

Some 80 terrorists were killed in a day-long gun battle with Afghan and NATO forces late last week.

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Gabe Kahn., 25/07/11 19:23

Nato in Afghanistan

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Officials announced Sunday at least 80 terrorist insurgents were killed in a series of combined Afghan-NATO actions during a day-long firefight late last week.

The figure was provided by Paktika provincial governor Mukhlas Afghan, but NATO said it could only confirm 50 insurgents were killed in the battle.

The operation, which began Wednesday and spanned the night into Thursday, was fought in a "known Haqqani network" area.

The Haqqani network is an insurgent group loosely affiliated with the Taliban and is believed to be based in Pakistan's frontier territories.

The raid included Afghan special forces and engaged "multiple groups of insurgents" who were armed with rocket-propelled grenade launchers and heavy machine guns, NATO's International Security Assistance Force reported Friday.

Multiple insurgent groups were holed up in areas that included caves and fortified bunker positions, ISAF said.

Elsewhere, coalition raids on Sunday in Helmand province left five militants dead, including three Taliban commanders, according to provincial governor Dawood Ahmadi. Three others were captured, he said.

Sunday's announcement coincides with formal ceremonies marking the handover of security to Afghan forces in parts of Kabul and Panjshir province.

They are the fifth and sixth areas to be transferred to national forces by NATO.